DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for cleft palate — screening already-approved drugs against its 39-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleCleft palate maps to a 39-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
No approved-drug candidate for cleft palate is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
Molecular view
collagen type II alpha 1 chain (COL2A1) — COL2A1 is one of the genes genetically linked to this disease in Open Targets — shown as context, not as a drug target we're pursuing: no approved-drug candidate for this disease is yet corroborated in the literature we found.
Loading structure…
helix sheet p33drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 5NIR · 1.74 Å · ligand 3,6,9,12,15,18-HEXAOXAICOSANE-1,20-DIOL (P33). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
The 2015 review of cleft palate repair notes that no universal agreement exists on the appropriate surgical strategy. Normal speech is considered the most important goal; growth disturbance should be minimised but not at the expense of speech impairment, because facial distortion can be corrected surgically while speech impairment is often irreversible. The authors call for well-controlled prospective studies to validate the widely differing claims of superior results from various techniques, and state that patients should be managed in a centre with a multidisciplinary team.
The 2023 study by Chwa et al. analysed over 2500 patients from international Smile Train data to identify predictors of adverse outcomes following cleft palate repair. The abstract itself does not report any numerical results, response rates, or survival data. The supplemental materials are referenced but their content is not summarised in the provided text.
No drug, biological agent, or pharmacological intervention is mentioned in any of these abstracts. The entire evidence base concerns surgical technique and perioperative risk factors. There is no data on drug repurposing, no molecular target, and no preclinical or clinical trial of a pharmaceutical agent for cleft palate.
What is missing is any funded, registered trial testing a drug for cleft palate repair or prevention. No patient stratification by genetic subtype or syndromic status is reported in these abstracts. No comparative effectiveness data from randomised surgical trials are available.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Journal of Cleft Lip Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies · 2015 · 5 citations · open access
Repair of cleft palate: Evolution and current trends
AbstractThe management of a patient with cleft palate is complex. Various prevalent surgical techniques are presented, but no universal agreement exists on the appropriate treatment strategy. There is a consensus of opinion that normal speech should be the most important consideration in the therapeutic plan. Growth disturbance should be minimized, but not at the expense of speech impairment because facial distortion can be satisfactorily managed by surgery, whereas speech impairment can often be irreversible. There is a need for well-controlled, prospective studies to establish the validity of the widely different claims of superior results from various techniques. Cleft patients should be managed in a center with a multidisciplinary team. Cleft palate remains a significant and interesting challenge for current and future plastic surgeons.
Sage Journals Data · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
sj-docx-4-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 - Supplemental material for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data
AbstractSupplemental material, sj-docx-4-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data by Emily S. Chwa, Jenna R. Stoehr and Arun K. Gosain in The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal
Sage Journals Data · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
sj-docx-5-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 - Supplemental material for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data
AbstractSupplemental material, sj-docx-5-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data by Emily S. Chwa, Jenna R. Stoehr and Arun K. Gosain in The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal
INDIGO (University of Illinois at Chicago) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
sj-docx-5-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 - Supplemental material for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data
AbstractSupplemental material, sj-docx-5-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data by Emily S. Chwa, Jenna R. Stoehr and Arun K. Gosain in The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal
INDIGO (University of Illinois at Chicago) · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
sj-docx-3-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 - Supplemental material for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data
AbstractSupplemental material, sj-docx-3-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data by Emily S. Chwa, Jenna R. Stoehr and Arun K. Gosain in The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal
Sage Journals Data · 2023 · 0 citations · open access
sj-docx-3-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 - Supplemental material for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data
AbstractSupplemental material, sj-docx-3-cpc-10.1177_10556656221148901 for Predictors of Adverse Outcomes Following Cleft Palate Repair: An Analysis of Over 2500 Patients Using International Smile Train Data by Emily S. Chwa, Jenna R. Stoehr and Arun K. Gosain in The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
DeCure is a research and publication project, not medical advice and not a treatment. "DeCure for X" describes a research goal, not a claim that a cure exists. Backing a cure is a contribution to fund the research — it is not an investment, and confers no yield, royalty, equity or IP ownership. Papers are published open-access by the DeCure.ai DAO.
